Swedish Semlor
Decadent sort of breakfast pastry dessert perfect to pair with a Chai tea.
Ingredients
Buns
- 25 g Fresh Yeast 4.41 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 125 ml Cold Milk 1/2 cup + 1 tsp
- 75 g Granulated sugar 1/3 cup
- 1 tbsp Freshly Ground Cardamom
- 1 Medium Egg
- 325 g All Purpose Flour 11.4 oz
- 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Flaky Salt
- 100 g Very Soft Salted Butter 1 scant stick
Nutella Filling
- 100 g Nutella 3.5 oz
- 100 g Granulated Sugar 1/2 cup
- Pinch Salt
- 100 ml Milk 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp
- Pinch Cardamom Optional
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Water or Milk
- Pinch Salt
Whipped Topping
- 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Granulated Sugar
Extra
- Powdered sugar to dust
Instructions
Bun Assembly
- Crumble the fresh yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if you’re working by hand. Stir in a little bit of the cold milk until the yeast has dissolved. If using active dry yeast, I just threw in the same amount as the fresh.
- Add the rest of the milk, sugar, freshly ground cardamom and egg and stir. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add about half of the flour & baking powder mix to the dough, then stir until the dough just comes together.
- Add the salt, the remaining flour mix and the butter. Work the dough using the dough hook on a stand mixer, for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is very soft and elastic. The dough will be a little sticky but don’t be tempted to add more flour! Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- On a floured surface, divide the dough into 9 equally sized pieces. Using your hands (which should also be floured), shape each piece of dough into a ball using a circling motion until the bun is smooth and shiny. Cup your hand around the bun without too much pressure and swirl it around in a circling motion to shape it into a round and smooth ball. Ensure that when creating these balls, if there are any crevices avoid using those on top. You want a smooth top.
- Gently transfer the buns to a baking sheet with baking paper, and remember to leave some space between them so they can rise. Cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 60-90 minutes. Meanwhile, go through the next steps to prepare the Nutella filling.
Nutella Filling
- Combine Nutella, sugar, salt, milk and cardamom (optional), in a food processor/mixer. Pulse until everything comes together, the mixture should be quite runny. Place the Nutella filling in the fridge while going through the next steps.
Baking and Assembly
- Set the oven temperature to 435°F. Whisk together the egg, water and salt in a small bowl. Gently brush the buns with the egg wash.
- Bake the buns for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown in color. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Cut the tops of the buns to create a lid using a serrated knife, and make a small well in the middle of the bun using a fork. Save the crumb from the buns and add to the Nutella filling. Add a splash of milk to the Nutella filling if it gets too thick in consistency. Spoon the Nutella filling into the well in each bun.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream to soft peaks.
- Pipe the cream onto each bun and place the ‘lid’ on top. Dust with powdered sugar. Best eaten the same day they are made.
Notes
- Yeast Converter: https://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/yeast_converter.html
- Use fresh Cardamom from Cardamom pods. You can find them in the speciality (Indian aisle) at Wegmans
- Those more familiar have informed me that the traditional filling is Almond Paste or Marzipan. Nutella works well, but is non-traditional.